Birmingham Conservatoire Concert Diary Summer 2017

OR N AS F US ASO BYE N E I JO L SE OODHOM A G IN SAY OLD F A E R W OU TO

Concerts & Events Summer 2017 Apr – July

SHEKU KANNEH-MASON Winner of BBC Young Musician 2016 Fri 5 May BirmCons

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Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909 www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts

www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts

THE NEW CONSERVATOIRE

Welcome A warm welcome to Birmingham Conservatoire’s Summer 2017 Concert and Events Guide.

By the time the next issue is published the Conservatoire will be installed at the first purpose built music college in the UK for a generation and the first all-digital conservatoire to be built anywhere in the world. We will have five performance spaces – including the first dedicated jazz club in the city for many years – and two new concert halls. But we still have much to look forward to in our final weeks at Paradise Place. Our ‘cover star’ – seventeen year old Sheku Kanneh-Mason – is in my view one of the most exciting British musicians to have emerged in years. We are lucky to have secured one of the very few recitals he is giving as he continues to study for his A levels! (May 5, Recital Hall).

5 new state-of-the-art performance spaces including; 500 seat Concert Hall 150 seat Recital Hall 90 seat Jazz Club 80 seat Experimental Performance Venue

The return of Sir James and Lady Galway after their hugely successful appearance at the Conservatoire last year is another unmissable event – this time in a special Gala evening (May 24, Town Hall). After its brilliant debut concert at Town Hall I certainly won’t want to miss the Birmingham Conservatoire Ellington Orchestra (April 24, Recital Hall). And our season ends with what promises to be an emotional departure from Paradise Place (June 23, Town Hall) when our Symphony Orchestra signs off with a performance of Mahler’s epic Fifth Symphony. As always there is plenty more great music waiting to be discovered within these pages so please make the most of our final weeks in the old Conservatoire.

Meanwhile I look forward to welcoming you all to Eastside very shortly!

Julian Lloyd Webber Principal, Birmingham Conservatoire

60 seat Organ Studio

Tickets to events at Birmingham Conservatoire are available free of charge for Birmingham City University staff and students.

Tickets are subject to availability and are only valid with an ID card. Tickets can be reserved through the Conservatoire Concert Office 0121 331 5901.

Short distance from New Street and Moor Street train stations

BOOKINGS OPEN FROM SUMMER 2017

Call 0121 331 5909 or email bhamcons.concerts@bcu.ac.uk 2

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Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts Esther Yoo © Marco Borggreve

Summer season highlights P10

P8

P15 FRI 7 APR SPECIAL EVENT

COFFEE, CAKE & CADENZAS 1pm New Alexandra Theatre Free admission

TUE 2 MAY

FRI 5 MAY

WED 24 MAY

JUSTIN WIGGAN: COLLAPSE

SHEKU KANNEH-MASON

SIR JAMES AND LADY JEANNE GALWAY FUNDRAISING GALA CONCERT

Enjoy an hour of inspiring music from the finest musicians from Birmingham Conservatoire in the beautiful Piano Bar at The New Alexandra Theatre.

Birmingham Conservatoire Ellington Orchestra © William Ellis

P22

P25 MON 24 APR MONDAY SHOWCASE

BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA

‘kəʊdə/ noun

the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure.

MON 12 – TUE 20 JUNE

WED 14 - SAT 17 JUNE

MON 19 & TUE 20 JUNE

MONKATHON

SUMMER CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL

CODA

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PERFORMANCE PLATFORM

ESTHER YOO (VIOLIN) 1.05pm Recital Hall £10 (£8) advance £12 (£10) on the door

KENNETH PAGE FOUNDATION MASTERCLASS:

In support of Birmingham Conservatoire Woodwind Department P19

TUE 25 APR

1.05pm Recital Hall Free admission Following their hugely successful debut that received rave reviews at Town Hall in February, our Ellington Orchestra is back.

In this special lunchtime performance, hear the wonderful music of Stan Tracey from the Genesis Suite.

3pm Recital Hall £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Joint ticket for masterclass and recital £14 (£12) advance £16 (£14) on the door Mendelssohn Sonata for Violin in F major Grieg Sonata for violin and piano No.3 in C minor, Op.45 Tchaikovsky Valse Scherzo in C major for Violin and Piano, Op.3

"Can the world take yet another brilliant young female violinist? Yes, if that violinist is Esther Yoo" wrote The Telegraph after the violinist’s performance with the Philharmonia Orchestra in March 2016.

Esther Yoo first came to international attention in 2010 when, aged 16, she became the youngest prizewinner of the 10th International Sibelius Violin Competition. In 2012 the AmericanKorean violinist was also one of the youngest ever prizewinners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and since 2014 she has been a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.

She performs in our Recital Hall ahead of a public masterclass supported by the Kenneth Page Foundation.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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WED 26 APR

WED 26 APR

Miriam Kitchener

Konan Tanaka © Firefoot Photography

PRIZES AND COMPETITIONS

THE ASHLEYAN OPERA PRIZE 7pm Recital Hall £4 Hear the impressive talents of Birmingham Conservatoire’s future opera stars, as they compete to win this award.

Open to postgraduate vocal students, each candidate will perform a programme of operatic arias, including one recitative, as they demonstrate their vocal prowess.

BARE 7pm 6/8 Kafé £4 The Birmingham Conservatoire Composition Department presents an evening of intimate music in the equally intimate setting of the 6/8 Kafé basement.

THU 27 APR

FRI 28 APR

THURSDAYS AT BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE

FORTEPIANO CONCERT 7.30pm Recital Hall £6 (£4)

LUNCHTIMES @ BMAG

MIRIAM KITCHENER PERCUSSION CONCERT 12.30pm Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Free admission

Director Sharona Joshua Join us for a magical evening of classical and romantic repertoire featuring the fortepiano as well as its successor, the historical piano.

A select group of emerging performers from Birmingham Conservatoire present an exciting programme comprising of music by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Field, Clementi, Schubert, the Schumanns and their contemporaries.

Students play solo repertoire and join forces with period string players and singers to form riveting ensembles presenting Lieder, duos and concerto movements.

A slightly longer than usual must-hear public concert showcasing the fortepiano in all its glory, highlighting the instrument’s clarity of tone with its myriad of colours and shades, extracting its authentic sounds with subtle nuance and lots of character and charm.

Eckhard Kopetzki Topf-Tanz Kevin Bobo Marriage of the Lamb Miriam Kitchener Robanic Wilson Leywantono New composition Alexandre Esperet Ceci n'est pas une balle In this lunchtime percussion recital, Kitchener performs an eclectic range of works including Kevin Bobo’s Marriage of the Lamb, Topf-Tanz by Eckhard Kopetzki and one of her very own compositions.

Her varied programme features an array of instruments, from marimba to Irish bodhrán.

Having received a first class degree in Music Performance from Birmingham Conservatoire, she has worked with renowned percussionists around the world.

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SAT 29 APR CHELTENHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL

JAZZ EXCHANGE Birmingham Conservatoire and NTNU Trondheim Conservatoire 11am Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre £10 plus transaction fee Tickets available from www.cheltenhamfestivals.com The finest student musicians from two of Europe’s top training grounds meet annually in Cheltenham for a stirring showcase of contemporary jazz.

With bands formed of students from the Birmingham and Trondheim Conservatoires, check out the next generation of jazz talent and spot some stars of the future.

SAT 29 APR SPECIAL EVENT

TUE 2 MAY PERFORMANCE PLATFORM

CHAMBER MUSIC SATURDAYS 12pm Library of Birmingham Free admission Hear some of our best young musicians perform in the Library of Birmingham.

Strings, woodwind and brass ensembles from the Conservatoire present beautiful programmes completely free of charge. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity!

Children very welcome.

KONAN TANAKA 11.05am Recital Hall £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Konan Tanaka piano Mozart Piano Sonata No.8 in A minor, K.310/300d Ravel Sonatine Lieberman Nocturne No.5 Chopin Ballade No.4 in F minor, Op.52

“I have indeed suffered and wept enough – but what did it avail?”

Mozart, after hearing about his mother’s death.

Mozart’s Sonata in A minor is full of tragedy. Linked strongly with his mother’s death, the sonorities of this sonata are closely linked to the young man’s frame of mind at the time.

Together with Chopin’s beloved fourth Ballade, this recital will take you through an intense and emotional journey of musical ideas and human expression.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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WED 3 MAY

Nafis Umerkulova

FRI 5 MAY

LIVE JAZZ BROADCAST

TUE 2 MAY

SPECIAL EVENT

BROADCAST I

COFFEE, CAKE & CADENZAS

1.05pm Recital Hall £6 (£4) on the door

1pm New Alexandra Theatre Free admission

Join us for a live recording of some of our best senior jazz students.

Enjoy an hour of inspiring music from the finest musicians from Birmingham Conservatoire in the beautiful Piano Bar at The New Alexandra Theatre.

WED 3 MAY PRIZES AND COMPETITIONS

JUSTIN WIGGAN: COLLAPSE 6.30pm Recital Hall £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door

TUE 2 MAY PERFORMANCE PLATFORM

1.05pm Recital Hall £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door

Schumann Sonata No.1 in F sharp minor Op.11 Albeniz Suite Espanola: Sevilla, Cadiz, Asturias, Aragon Despite the complexity and richness of the musical material in Schumann's Sonata No.1, each theme is unique in its expressive qualities and the overall balance of the form is easily achieved. The second movement – the Aria is based entirely on Schumann’s song – An Anna, which he wrote at the age of 18. Liszt referred to this movement as “the most perfect ideas”, that he had ever come across.

Hear multiple prize-winning pianist, Nafis Umerkulova perform this alongside Suite Española, by Albeniz – miniature tone pictures portraying different geographical regions and musical idioms of Spain.

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Adjudicator Professor Helen Abbott, Professor of Modern Languages, University of Birmingham.

Those are pearls that were his eyes.

A prize donated in memory of Stuart Cameron Smith who for many years taught at Birmingham Conservatoire as a vocal coach and inspiration to generations of students. He possessed a formidable knowledge of the song repertoire. This competition is allied with the American Song Prize, each taking place on alternate years.

- TS Eliot The Waste Land

Nafis Umerkulova piano

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7pm Recital Hall £4 on the door

I remember

“Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?”

NAFIS UMERKULOVA

THE STUART CAMERON SMITH FRENCH SONG PRIZE

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Collapse is the new piece by sound artist Justin Wiggan, created in collaboration with students from Birmingham Conservatoire.

The work investigates the removal of buildings and the utilisation of an empirical mind-set, leading to the psychological crutch of nostalgia.

This is explored in a live sonic essay collaging TS Elliott's Wasteland, the removal of Paradise Forum and the transferral of educational space, seen through the genres of harsh noise wall and doom metal.

The performance will induce crumbling anxiety, leading to the wish of escape to the outside, thus achieving a full circle.

Andy Howlett's Paradise Lost: History in the Unmaking also features tonight.

THU 4 MAY THURSDAYS AT BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE

THE PIANO SOLO AND COLLABORATIVE SHOWCASE 7.30pm Recital Hall £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Director John Thwaites A mixed evening drawing upon the extraordinary talents of student pianists and their colleagues in other departments. The concert will include both solo piano and chamber music works plus the Birmingham première of Rzewski’s De Profundis based on Oscar Wilde's confession of the same title (postponed from 3 Mar).

The Piano Solo and Collaborative Showcase © Greg Milner

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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FRI 5 MAY EMERGING ARTISTS

SHEKU KANNEH-MASON Winner of BBC Young Musician 2016 1.05pm Recital Hall £15 (£13) advance £17 (£15) on the door

FRI 5 MAY

Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello Isata Kanneh-Mason piano

GERSHWIN MEETS BOND

ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

7.30pm Town Hall £10 (£8) tickets available from www.thsh.co.uk

Beethoven Sonata Op.5 No.2 in G minor Shostakovich Sonata Op.40 in D minor

Conductor Christopher Houlding Birmingham Conservatoire Pops Orchestra Eric McElroy piano

Winner of BBC Young Musician 2016, Sheku Kanneh-Mason is joined by his award-winning sister, Isata, for a special lunchtime recital.

Gershwin Funny Face Overture Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue Gershwin Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture

Sheku was crowned winner of the prestigious televised prize when he played Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.1 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the Grand Final at the Barbican.

Norman/Barry arr. Black James Bond Medley Barry arr. Nic Raine You Only Live Twice Barry arr. Nic Raine Diamonds Are Forever Paul McCartney/Martin arr. Nic Raine Live And Let Die Bill Conti arr. Nic Raine For Your Eyes Only

This is a rare chance to see two of classical music’s most promising young stars in our intimate Recital Hall.

Bono/The Edge/Éric Serras arr. Nic Raine Goldeneye Michel Legrand arr. Nic Raine Never Say Never Again David Arnold arr. Nic Raine Tomorrow Never Dies David Arnold arr. Nic Raine The World Is Not Enough David Arnold Casino Royale

Isata Kanneh-Mason

Eric McElroy

Who can resist the sumptuous melodies of Gershwin paired with the iconic film themes inspired by Ian Fleming's James Bond, served in full symphonic splendour?

Join Christopher Houlding and the Conservatoire Pops Orchestra for an evening to remember.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

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MON 8 MAY MONDAY SHOWCASE

LAMBERT, BRAHMS, LISZT 1.05pm Recital Hall Free admission Tung Khng Chua piano Lambert Piano Sonata György Hodozsó piano Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.11 Seb Wyss violin György Hodozsó piano Ysaÿe Valse Caprice Brahms Hungarian Dance No.1

Alexei Kiseliov

TUE 9 MAY SPECIAL EVENT

ALEKSEI KISELIOV & ANDREY IVANOV 6pm Lyttelton Theatre, Birmingham & Midland Institute £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Alexei Kiseliov cello Andrey Ivanov piano Programme to include: Rachmaninov Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor Op.19

SUN 7 MAY

MON 8 MAY

PRIZES AND COMPETITIONS

PRIZES AND COMPETITIONS

BIRMINGHAM’S BEST – THE BIRMINGHAM PHILHARMONIC CONCERTO COMPETITION FINAL

THE DORIS NEWTON MUSIC CLUB PRIZE

3pm Bramall Music Building, University of Birmingham £15 (£12) Students £5 (BCU students free) Family ticket (2 adults + up to 2 children) £32

7.30pm Recital Hall £4 on the door

Conductor Michael Lloyd The Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra Host Julian Lloyd Webber Adjudicator Stephen Maddock OBE This, the final of the Birmingham Philharmonic Concerto Competition and one of the Conservatoire’s most prestigious prizes, is the culmination of a number of heats in which over 50 of the Conservatoire’s students have taken part.

Our finalists today are the future of tomorrow’s concert platforms and they will dazzle and entertain you in what is not only a competition, but an exhilarating concert with the added spice of choosing your favourite performance!

But will your choice match that of our illustrious adjudicator, Stephen Maddock?

Enjoy seeing the cream of this year's prize-winners demonstrating their talents as they vie to be crowned the overall winner.

The culmination of the nine categories of the Birmingham Conservatoire Prize (Woodwind, Guitar, Brass, Saxophone, Piano, Percussion, Recorder, Strings, and Vocal), The Doris Newton Music Club Prize allows the winners of each of these nine sections to compete for this highly respected final award.

Alexei Kiseliov, Principal Cello with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is joined by his regular duo partner Andrey Ivanov, one of our most extraordinarily accomplished young students.

SPECIAL EVENT

PIANO RECITAL IN AID OF THE DENIS MATTHEWS MEMORIAL TRUST 8pm Lyttelton Theatre, Birmingham & Midland Institute £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Pascal Pascaleff (Denis Matthews Scholar) piano Schumann Kreisleriana Liszt Sonata in B minor Pascal Pascaleff is the inaugural Denis Matthews Scholar, from Sofia, Bulgaria.

Tonight he plays epic romantic works by Schumann and Liszt to raise money for the Denis Matthews Memorial Trust.

JOINT TICKET £10 (£6) advance £12 (£8) on the door

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FRI 12 MAY IMAGINED ISLE URBAN FOLK NIGHT

THE CONSERVATOIRE FOLK ENSEMBLE, URBAN FOLK QUARTET, THE FAIR RAIN, DAN WALSH AND RUSTY SHACKLE 7.45pm Town Hall, Birmingham £20.50 Tickets available from www.thsh.co.uk Featuring a specially curated line-up of nationally and internationally renowned artists, alongside profiling local and emerging talents. Imagined Isle celebrates the unique voices and sounds of folk, set against the iconic backdrop of Birmingham’s historic Town Hall.

Enjoy the all-folk extravaganza on Friday's Urban Folk Night, featuring The Conservatoire Folk Ensemble. Formed by fiddle player and arranger Joe Broughton (The Urban Folk Quartet, The Albion Band and Joss Stone), the group’s energetic live sets are a sight to behold, featuring a 15-piece horn section, three cello players, five percussionists and five electric guitarists, plus fiddles, flutes, clarinets, double bass, tuba and even a harp! They also all sing too.

Enjoy even more folk music across the whole weekend with a plethora of blazing tunes from a family ceilidh with Rabscallion, the legendary Fairport Convention and the compelling Jon Boden. Weekend tickets are available for just £58. Share the excitement by using the #imaginedisle hashtag.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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FRI 19 MAY

SUN 21 MAY

PRIZES AND COMPETITIONS

ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

TONY LEVIN DRUM PRIZE

YOUNG STRINGS PROJECT SHOWCASE

12.30pm The Red Lion, Jewellery Quarter £8 (£4) Tickets available from www.birminghamjazz.co.uk

3pm Bramall Music Building, University of Birmingham £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door

Jazz drum legend and much-loved Conservatoire tutor, Tony Levin passed away in February 2011. His legacy still very much lives on with us and one of the forms in which this happens is the continuation of the Tony Levin Drum Prize. Tony’s plan was that each student finalist would play a short set with fellow Jazz Department tutors to determine which student is most deserving of the accolade of ‘most swinging’.

Witness a high-energy concert and a spotlight on future careers in jazz drumming: a ‘happening’ as Tony would say.

Junior Conservatoire Young Strings Project orchestra, choir, groups, ensembles and soloists.

SAT 20 MAY ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

INTRICATE WEB Chamber Music by Liz Johnson 7.30pm CBSO Centre £15 (£7) Tickets available from www.eventbrite.co.uk

Lucy Russell, Marcus Barcham-Stevens violins Alan George viola Sally Pendlebury cello Ronald Woodley clarinets Loré Lixenberg voice Heather Tuach cello Caleb Klaces poet

SAT 20 MAY ORGAN

Liz Johnson Tide Purl Liz Johnson Quartet No.3: Intricate Web Liz Johnson 3 Jo Shapcott Songs: Pig, Watching Medusa*, Elephant Woman Liz Johnson Cello Suite: Reflections of an Eccentric English Artist* Liz Johnson Towards the Sea for clarinet, viola and cello Liz Johnson Clarinet Quintet: Sea-change*and poetry by Caleb Klaces and David Hart

NATHAN LAUBE IN CONCERT

*World premières

7.30pm St Chad's Cathedral £10 (£7) advance £12 (£9) on the door

This exploration of composer Liz Johnson’s chamber music and songs is deeply influenced by poetry, art and the natural world. The renowned Fitzwilliam String Quartet led by Lucy Russell performs alongside clarinettist Ronald Woodley to première Johnson’s new tour de force, the clarinet quintet Sea-change.

Acclaimed American virtuoso and one of today’s greatest players, Nathan Laube makes his first visit to play in the stunning setting of St Chad's Cathedral.

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The Young Strings Project offers tuition to beginners as young as three years old. Teaching takes place both individually and in groups following the Suzuki method.

Director Lucy Akehurst

Fitzwilliam String Quartet

Nathan Laube

Hear talented young players performing as a culmination of their studies at the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire.

MON 22 & TUE 23 MAY CELEBRITY MASTERCLASS

SIR JAMES AND LADY JEANNE GALWAY Mon 22 May 2pm - 5pm & 6.30pm - 8.30pm Sir James in Lyttelton Theatre 6.30 - 8.30pm Lady Galway in BMI Members' Hall £10 (£7) advance booking required Tues 23 May 11am - 1pm & 2.30pm - 5pm Sir James in Lyttelton Theatre 11am - 1pm & 2.30pm - 5pm Lady Galway in BMI Members' Hall £10 (£7) advance booking required £15 (£10) Monday & Tuesday Masterclass ticket* Before taking to the Town Hall stage, Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway lead a number of masterclasses with students from Birmingham Conservatoire woodwind department. *Masterclass tickets allow flexible entry to sessions by both Sir James and Lady Jeanne at any part of the day.

WED 24 MAY BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE PRESENTS

SIR JAMES AND LADY JEANNE GALWAY FUNDRAISING GALA CONCERT In support of Birmingham Conservatoire Woodwind Department 7pm Town Hall, Birmingham £25 (£20), £10 for students and under 16s.

Tickets available from www.thsh.co.uk Programme includes: Briccialdi The Carnival of Venice Borne Carmen Fantasy One of the world’s greatest living flautists Sir James Galway and his wife, Lady Jeanne perform in this fundraising event for instruments for Birmingham Conservatoire’s Woodwind Department.

Nicknamed ‘The Man with the Golden Flute’, Sir James Galway is globally renowned as the supreme interpreter of the classical flute repertoire and has sold in excess of 30 million records during a career that spans over 40 years.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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WED 24 MAY

Sir Thomas Allen

SPECIAL EVENT

SUN 28 MAY

CHRIS MAPP'S GONIMOBLAST + SPECIAL GUEST ANNIE MAHTANI

A CELEBRATION FOR GWYN

8.15pm Mac, Cannon Hill Park £10 (£8) Tickets available from www.macbirmingham.co.uk

Host Nick Bailey from Classic FM Conductor Michael Seal Conductor Julian Lloyd Webber* Yue Yu viola Birmingham Conservatoire String Orchestra with friends and colleagues of Gwyn from CBSO Henry Fairs organ

7.30pm Town Hall, Birmingham £28 - £33 tickets available from www.thsh.co.uk

An exciting blend of contemporary jazz and electronics, Chris Mapp's Gonimoblast brings together his four piece band. Featuring Chris on bass, Dan Nicholls on keys, Leafcutter John on electronics and Mark Sanders on drums, plus special guest Annie Mahtani on electronics.

FRI 26 MAY

SAT 27 MAY

LUNCHTIMES @ BMAG

SPECIAL EVENT

GUITAR DUO 12.30pm Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Free admission Rodrigo Tonadilla Takemitsu Bad boy Piazzolla Oblivion Piazzolla Tango Suite Castelnuovo-Tedesco Prelude and Fugue in E major Juan Honorato and Alex Roche are two extremely talented guitarists from Birmingham Conservatoire. They have given a number of duo performances including Stephen Dodgson's The Selevan Story as soloists with guitar orchestra. Both are individual winners of the Conservatoire guitar competition and have performed as concerto soloists.

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Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Gwyn Williams Choir

SPECIAL EVENT

SAT 27 MAY PRIZES & COMPETITIONS

CHAMBER MUSIC SATURDAYS

THE MARIO LANZA OPERA PRIZE

12pm Library of Birmingham Free admission

2pm Recital Hall £4 on the door

Hear some of our best young musicians perform in the Library of Birmingham.

Adjudicator Sir Thomas Allen

Strings, woodwind and brass ensembles from the Conservatoire present beautiful programmes, completely free of charge. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity!

Children very welcome.

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Prepare to be enthralled by the skill and virtuosity our students display as they compete to win this esteemed prize.

Generously sponsored by the Mario Lanza Society, our undergraduate and postgraduate singers rise to the challenge of presenting two contrasting operatic arias.

Tonight's prize is adjudicated

by Sir Thomas Allen, star of the great opera houses of the world. He particularly acclaimed for the great Mozart roles of Count Almaviva, Don Alfonso, Papageno, Guglielmo and Don Giovanni.

Widor Toccata Bruch Romance for Viola and String Orchestra Op. 85* Howells Elegy for Viola, String Quartet and String Orchestra Elgar Introduction & Allegro for Quartet and String Orchestra Jackson Organ Fanfare Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music Wilson Rosie's Tune Saint-Saëns The Swan Romanian Folk Music Arne Rule Britannia The concert is the brainchild of Stephannie Williams, the widow of Gwyn Williams who passed away in June 2015.

THU 1 JUNE ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE CHAMBER CHOIR 7.30pm St Alban’s Church, Highgate Retiring collection

Gwyn was a fine viola player and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra became his professional home, where he was appointed principal viola by Sir Simon Rattle.

During 2016 Stephannie worked tirelessly with the support of many of Gwyn’s peers and friends to set up The Gwyn Williams Charitable Trust For Young Viola Players. The trust will be dedicated to her husband’s memory and his legacy of profound viola music accomplishment.

This inaugural concert launches the charity and is the first of many fundraising events planned to raise money that will help students studying at Birmingham Conservatoire.

Conductor Paul Spicer Nicholas Morris organ Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir Music by Richard Rodney Bennett including The Glory and the Dream A chance to hear our much celebrated Chamber Choir under the direction of Paul Spicer before they enter the recording studio once more.

The trust’s mission is to be able to give young people between 13 – 22 years of age studying the viola financial support. This could be a contribution towards buying a better instrument, a subsidy towards the cost of lessons or a contribution for more advanced study.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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FRI 2 JUNE SPECIAL EVENT

COFFEE, CAKE & CADENZAS 1pm New Alexandra Theatre Free admission Enjoy an hour of inspiring music from the finest musicians from Birmingham Conservatoire in the beautiful Piano Bar at The New Alexandra Theatre.

Michael Tippett © Nicky Johnston Hans Koller

MON 5 JUNE SPECIAL EVENT

THE LAST HURRAH!

Steve Cardenas

7.30pm Recital Hall £6 (£4) on the door £7 (£5) advance

Fred Thelonious Baker

Director Duncan Fielden Birmingham Conservatoire Chorus Programme to include: Jonathan Dove Into Thy Hands Duncan Fielden Set Me as a Seal Robin Morton Behold Thou Art Fair (world première) Olivia Thornber Fall, Leaves, Fall (world première) Michael Tippett Five Spirituals from A Child of Our Time Come and listen to the future as we present several world premières of new choral works composed by Conservatoire students and graduates, alongside masterpieces from both the 20th and 21st centuries.

All first-year students at the Conservatoire have to sing as a vital part of their musical training, and this will be the last generation to do so before these buildings are demolished.

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MON 12 JUNE JAZZ

ELECTRIC GUITAR, JAZZ ROCK & BEYOND 6.30pm Arena Foyer £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Director Fred Thelonious Baker Join a guitar ensemble from Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Department specially arranged by Fred Thelonious Baker featuring his own compositions and jazz standards.

This celebration of his association with the Conservatoire will feature various combinations of electric guitar and a special electric bass set from Fred himself.

MON 12 – TUE 20 JUNE MONKATHON The legendary Birmingham Monkathon returns for a staggering 9-day event to mark the centenary of Thelonious Monk.

Hailing from Paris Conservatoire we welcome Professor François Théberge and a group of his students who will work with UK piano star Liam Noble.

You can hear Monk's entire repertoire across the city at a variety of venues by a wide range of groups, projects, guest artists and soloists.

New York guitarist Steve Cardenas (transcriber of the famous Monk Fake Book, and alumnus of Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, Paul Motion's Electric Bebop Band, and the John Pattitucci Quartet) teams up with our fantastic jazz musicians for a gig at the Spotted Dog, he will adjudicate the jazz department’s student Arranging Prize, and performs with Hans Koller's group, Thelonious for a concert at the CBSO centre.

Other highlights include a gig by Arnie Somogyi's Jump Monk at the Red Lion, supported by his student project, various outreach activities, and a symposium entitled Being Thelonious featuring a key note presentation by the eminent Monk scholar and biographer Robin Kelley.

Monkathon 2017 brings together students and staff from the jazz department, international soloists, our Erasmus partners, Alumni, JazzLines, Birmingham Jazz, and the Jazz Research group of ADM.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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MON 12 JUNE PRIZES & COMPETITIONS

NEW COMPOSITIONS IN JAZZ

OPEN DAY

8pm Recital Hall £4 on the door Hear this exciting offering of brand new arrangements of Thelonious Monk's early Blue Note recordings from the Conservatoire's senior students.

Monkathon 2017 will be honoured by music performed by the Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Orchestra, directed by student conductors on their final year of the jazz course, under the guidance of the Conservatoire's Head of Jazz Jeremy Price.

Prize adjudicated by Steve Cardenas.

Chun-Chieh Yen

Renata Konyicska © Raffay photograph

1.05pm Recital Hall £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door

PERFORMANCE PLATFORM

RENATA KONYICSKA 11.05am Recital Hall £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door

Chun-Chieh Yen cello

Renata Konyicska piano Chopin-Liszt Six Chants Polonais Liszt Impromptu in F sharp major Liszt Sonata in B minor Join us for a programme which showcases the great romantics, Chopin and Liszt.

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PERFORMANCE PLATFORM

CHUN-CHIEH YEN (CELLO)

TUE 13 JUNE

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Ana Sokolovic Vez for Cello Solo Tansman Fantaisie for Cello and Piano Chopin Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, Op.65 A unique programme featuring the solo piece Vez by Ana Sokolovic, who is recognised as one of Canada’s foremost composers, alongside works for cello and piano by Alexandre Tansman, and his fellowcountryman Frederic Chopin.

DISCOVER WHAT BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE AND BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY HAVE TO OFFER IN AN OPEN DAY OF CONCERTS, WORKSHOPS AND TALKS.

WED 14 JUNE CONSERVATOIRE OPEN DAY 10am – 4pm Free admission Our Open Day is designed to help those considering applying to study with us find out more about Birmingham Conservatoire, our courses and what it’s like to study in a conservatoire environment.

The day will consist of workshops and talks about Birmingham Conservatoire’s courses and life at the University. For further information and a programme for the day, please see the website bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/opendays or contact 0121 331 5901 or e-mail conservatoire@bcu.ac.uk.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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WED 14 – SAT 17 JUNE

Summer Chamber Music Festival The Summer Chamber Music Festival celebrates the achievements of the Conservatoire’s student ensembles (this year approaching 100!), and provides a platform for some of them. This year, Strings and Piano will focus on Mendelssohn and Schumann, whose wonderful Romantic chamber music includes so many favourite works.

The opening showcase concert brings offerings from different departments, finishing with Mendelssohn’s Octet in which The Gildas Quartet (this year’s Junior Fellows) will team up with four strings students. The Sylvia Cleaver Chamber Music Prize is always a highlight, with five finalist ensembles giving their all.

Concerts will run throughout the day, and full details will appear in the Festival brochure, available at the beginning of May. *Please note listings correct at time of going to print Day £6 advance Ticket £10 on the door

WED 14 JUNE 4.30pm Recital Hall

SHOWCASE CONCERT: STUDENTS FROM THE CONSERVATOIRE

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7.30pm Recital Hall

STRINGS AND PIANO 1

STRINGS AND PIANO 2

£4 advance £6 on the door

£4 advance £6 on the door

THU 15 JUNE WOODWIND 1 £4 advance £6 on the door 12.30pm Recital Hall

8.30pm Recital Hall

STRINGS AND PIANO 3 £4 advance £6 on the door

FRI 16 JUNE 11am Recital Hall

WOODWIND 2

GUITARS

£4 advance £6 on the door

£4 advance £6 on the door

1.05pm St Paul's Church

BERNARD BROWN BRASS ENSEMBLE PRIZE FINALISTS £4 advance £6 on the door Quintessential Brass Horn on the Cob Absolute Brass

12.30am Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

LUMOS WIND QUINTET Free admission 6pm Recital Hall

STRINGS AND PIANO 4 £4 advance £6 on the door

2pm Recital Hall 7.30pm Recital Hall

SYLVIA CLEAVER CHAMBER MUSIC PRIZE

STRINGS AND PIANO 5

£4 advance £6 on the door

£4 advance £6 on the door

5.30pm Recital Hall

SAXOPHONES

Colmore Brass perform Amuse-Bouche by Christopher Houlding Mozart Gran Partita (Movement 1) for 13 Wind Instruments Schumann Piano Quartet, Andante Cantabile, Op.47 Alma Guitar Trio Avesta Saxophone Quartet Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.3 performed by Conservatoire Brass Mendelssohn Octet performed by Gildas String Quartet (Junior Fellows) with students

£4 advance £6 on the door

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Day £15 advance Ticket £20 on the door

11am Recital Hall

£4 advance £6 on the door

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7pm Recital Hall

5.30pm St Paul's Church

JOINT CONCERT BY MILLENNIUM BRASS & THE BERNARD BROWN BRASS PRIZE WINNER £4 advance £6 on the door Solomon Cutler Trombone Quartet Millennium Brass

SAT 17 JUNE 1pm Library of Birmingham

BRASS OUTDOORS Colmore Brass (Conservatoire Brass Ensemble-in-Residence) Free admission

Festival Ticket £30 advance only

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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19 - 20 JUNE 2017

The Beggar's Opera - William Hogarth

FRI 16 JUNE

THU 15 – SAT 17 JUNE

LUNCHTIMES @ BMAG

OPERA

GERSHWIN

THE BEGGAR'S OPERA

12.30pm Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Free admission

Thu 7pm Fri 7pm Sat 2pm & 7pm Crescent Theatre £16 (£13), £5.50 BCU students

Lumos Wind Quintet: Georgina Silverton flute Harriet Brown oboe Benjamin Garalnick French horn Hugh Woolley bassoon Jacob Perry clarinet Zemlinsky Humoreske and Rondo Ibert Trois pièces brèves Bozza Scherzo Gordon Jacob Swansea Town Barthe Passacaille Gershwin arr. by Anna Hashimoto Summertime The Lumos Wind Quintet are one of the bright young woodwind ensembles flourishing at the Conservatoire. They present an attractive, varied programme.

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Director Matthew Sharp Conductor Fraser Goulding John Gay arr. Benjamin Britten The Beggar’s Opera A sophisticated take on the everpopular folk opera by John Gay that was the smash hit of the day in 18th century London.

Gay's original 1728 libretto plays with parody and satire, poking fun at the fashionable Handel operas of his day.

Britten's updated arrangement of 1948 breathed new harmonic and orchestral vigour into the drama and is performed here by the members of our Vocal Department.

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SAT 17 JUNE ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

JUNIOR CONSERVATOIRE CHAMBER CONCERT 7pm Recital Hall £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door Soloists and chamber ensembles from the Junior Conservatoire.

‘kəʊdə/ noun

the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure.

Join us for a two-day marathon of new music as we say goodbye to our iconic Brutalist home at Paradise Place.

FEATURING:

Howard Skempton Michael Wolters Andy Hamilton Seán Clancy Fumiko Miyachi & Kate Halsall Daniel Blanco Albert Eric McElroy /birmcons

@birmcons

BCU Afrocuban Jazz Orchestra present Grupo Paradiso!

Monkathon New works for Birmingham Conservatoire’s own player piano - supervised by Martin Perkins and Maya Verlaak And many more

www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire

New Conservatoire venues open September 2017. Opening Festival from Spring 2018.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts Eblana Trio

TUE 20 JUNE

Tredegar Town Band

Julian Argüelles

SPECIAL EVENT

EBLANA STRING TRIO 7.30pm Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, B1 2HS £12 Tickets available from www.ikon-gallery.org Eblana Trio Jonathan Martindale violin Lucy Nolan viola Peggy Nolan cello Louise Lansdown viola Schubert String Trio in B flat major Britten Phantasy Quartet Britten Elegy for solo viola Britten String Quartet No.1 in D major Op.25

TUE 20 JUNE ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

CONDUCTORS' ENSEMBLE 1pm St George's Church, Edgbaston Free admission Conductor Margarita Mikhailova Conductor Josef Javora Conductor Ioannis Giannopoulos Conductors' Ensemble

Join us for this free concert given by the students of Birmingham Conservatoire’s course in orchestral conducting as they work with talented young musicians on some highlights of the chamber ensemble repertoire from the first half of the 20th century.

Josef Javora and Ioannis Giannopoulos both conduct unusually-scored works for groups of eight musicians, before student Margarita Mikhailova tackles two pieces by French composers: Jacques Ibert’s lighthearted Divertissement and the jazzinspired music for Darius Milhaud’s short ballet La création du monde.

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ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

BRASS SPLENDOUR: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

A concert colliding with the Sidney Nolan Exhibition in the IKON Gallery. The display includes a portrait of Benjamin Britten from the 1980s, hence the Britten inspired programme.

7.30pm St Paul’s Church £10 (£8) advance £12 (£10) on the door

This concert is in aid of the ARCO Project, a collaborative project between Cape Gate MIAGI Centre for Music, a music project in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa and Birmingham Conservatoire Strings Department.

Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Band & Tredegar Town Band (Conservatoire Brass Band-in-Residence) Christopher Davies tenor horn

WED 21 JUNE ORGAN

Varèse Octandre Stravinsky Octet Ibert Divertissement Milhaud La création du monde

WED 21 JUNE

LUTHER 500 JS Bach Clavierübung Part III 7.30pm St Chad's Cathedral £4 (£2) advance £5 (£3) on the door Students & Staff of the Conservatoire Organ Department Enjoy one of JS Bach’s great organ masterpieces in one of Birmingham’s most stunning spaces.

Conductor Ian Porthouse

Liz Lane Silver Rose Gareth Wood Tenor Horn Concerto Oliver Waespi The Raid Herbert Howells Pageantry Dorothy Gates Hope A thrilling evening of brass featuring the sonic splendour of two great bands and a variety of interesting music from an iconic masterpiece to cutting edge works with narrator. Add to this a rare chance to hear Gareth Wood's expressive Concerto for Tenor Horn and you have a musical evening celebrating the very best of brass.

THU 22 JUNE JAZZ

LET IT BE TOLD: BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE JAZZ ORCHESTRA 7.30pm CBSO Centre £10 (£8) advance £12 (£10) on the door

“The indomitably cheerful spirit of South African jazz is revived here…a music explosion. In all, it’s a joy.” The Telegraph Birmingham-born saxophonist, composer, band leader and educator Julian Argüelles now has an international reputation for both his playing and his powerful writing. LET IT BE TOLD is his tribute to South Africa's world-jazz impact, and highlights his gifts as an arranger.

Tonight Julian is featured soloist and director of Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Orchestra and graduating students' small bands. The evening will feature a selection of Argüelles’s arrangements of mainly Blue Note material emanating from the influential group of South African musicians who left the Apartheidaddled South Africa of the 1960s to express themselves freely and live more normal lives in Europe including; Dudu Pukwana, Mongezi Feza, Chris McGregor, Abdullah Ibrahim, Johnny Dyan and Miriam Makeba.

The award-winning CD of this project was released to wide critical acclaim in 2015 and subsequently received the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best CD in 2016.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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FRI 23 JUNE

SAT 1 JULY

ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

FRI 14 JULY

ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER MUSIC

SPECIAL EVENT

BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

BIRMINGHAM JUNIOR CONSERVATOIRE SHOWCASE

ON THE RAZOR’S EDGE – CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL

7.30pm Town Hall £10 (£8) Tickets available from www.thsh.co.uk

7pm Bramall Music Building, University of Birmingham £6 (£4) advance £7 (£5) on the door

10pm Parabola Arts Centre, Cheltenham £10 plus transaction fee.

Tickets available from www.cheltenhamfestivals.com

Conductor Michael Seal Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra I-Hsuan Peng piano Chloe Knibbs new work Mozart Piano Concerto No.26 in D K537 Mahler Symphony No.5 After a season of performing in venues across the city, join us in Birmingham’s historic Town Hall for our final orchestral concert of the year.

Michael Seal conducts the Conservatoire’s Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s enduring Symphony No.5 – a piece of grandness and depth, it includes perhaps the most famous music written by the composer, the fourthmovement Adagietto for harp and strings.

Before this there will be contributions from two senior students – a brand new orchestral piece by composer Chloe Knibbs followed by I-Hsuan Peng, a pianist on the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma performance course, playing one of Mozart’s most popular concertos, which captivates the audience with its delicacy and elegance.

Conductor Daniele Rosina

Conductor Daniele Rosina Conductor Jeffrey Snowdon Conductor Timothy English Conductor David Wynne

Thallein Ensemble with musicians from the Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse de Lyon and Ensemble Court-circuit

Junior Conservatoire Choirs and Orchestras Lehar Vilja-Lied from the Merry Widow Tchaikovsky Fantasy Overture “Romeo and Juliet” Choirs and orchestras from the Junior Conservatoire join together in a fitting finale to the end of term.

Jonathan Harvey Song offerings George Benjamin At first light Adrien Trybucki Magma Christophe Bertrand Madrigal Patrick Giguère Le sel de la terre This project was born from long-term partnerships between several organisations: both conservatoires of Birmingham and Lyon (CNSMDL) and the ensemble Court-Circuit, whose artistic director is also professor of composition at CNSMDL. Each of these institutions is, along with festivals associated with the project (Cheltenham, Frontiers in Birmingham) and GRAME (national centre for musical creation in Lyon) is particularly involved in the promotion of contemporary musical repertory and musical creation.

The aim is for students enrolled on performance and composition courses in Birmingham and Lyon to develop a passion for and a detailed knowledge of some of the most demanding works in the contemporary music repertoire, and to have the opportunity to perform as part of a big and emblematic festival.

Part of the Cheltenham Festival with Ensemble CourtCircuit and students from the Lyon Conservatoire.

I-Hsuan Peng

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Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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BIRMINGHAM

BIRMINGHAM

SCHOOL OF ACTING

www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts

SCHOOL OF ACTING

HOMECHAT CHAT HOME

By Noel Coward Directed by Jacob Murray

Friends, Janet Ebony and Peter Chelsworth, are forced to share a sleeping compartment following a disastrous train crash on their way back to London from Paris. Scandalous outrage ensues on arrival home as Janet’s husband, Paul, and her mother-in-law accuse them of adultery and public indiscretion. Janet’s mother and Peter’s fiancée, Lavinia, also enter the maelstrom. And then there’s Mavis, who tries not to take sides but has been secretly carrying a torch for Paul all these years...

By Jean Racine, translated by Robert David MacDonald Directed by Gareth Somers Based on the Greek tragedy, Racine’s retelling of this ancient story is one of the most famous classical French dramas. Phedra is a woman betrayed by her own desires - her lust for her step-son in her husband’s absence.

She descends into a personal hell of shame, degradation, guilt and remorse. Robert David MacDonald’s brilliant contemporary translation captures the poetry, drive, and style of Racine’s original, as the powerhouse characters and the plot hurtle towards an inevitable conclusion.

Old Rep Theatre May 2017 Thur 18 May: 7.30pm Fri 19 May: 2.30pm

Crescent Theatre Main House Tickets available on Fri 19 May: 7.30pm Fri 19 May: 7.30pm 0121 359 9444 or via Sat 20 May: 5pm Sat 20 May: 5pm www.oldreptheatre.co.uk

30 www.bcu.ac.uk/bsa BirminghamSchoolofActing BirminghamSchoolofActing www.bcu.ac.uk/bsa

@ActingBSA @ActingBSA

June 2017 Thur 22 June: 7.30pm Fri 23 June: 2.30pm www.bcu.ac.uk/bsa www.bcu.ac.uk/bsa

Fri 23 June: 7.30pm Sat 24 June: 5pm BirminghamSchoolofActing

Tickets available on 0121 643 5858 or via www.crescent-theatre.co.uk

BirminghamSchoolofActing @ActingBSA @ActingBSA

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Booking Information Tickets for Conservatoire events are individually priced (as shown in the event listings) and available to purchase in a variety of ways:

BOOK ONLINE

Where stated in the event listings, tickets can be booked online at www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire.

Please note that an additional transaction fee may be added per ticket paid for online.

ON THE DOOR

Where indicated in the event listings, tickets for Conservatoire events are available to purchase from Birmingham Conservatoire Box Office from up to 45 minutes prior to the event start time.

ADVANCE RESERVATION

Where tickets are not available in advance, you can guarantee your ticket by telephoning the Venues, Concerts and Events Office on 0121 331 5909 to reserve your ticket. Telephone lines are open Monday to Friday 10am 4pm. Your ticket will then be available for you to pay for at the Conservatoire Box Office from up to 45 minutes prior to the event start time.

Visa, Delta, Connect, Mastercard and Switch cards can be used. Cheques should be made payable to Birmingham City University. When purchasing tickets in advance, credit and debit card bookings incur a ÂŁ1 fee per transaction and all cash payments are fee free.

CONCESSIONS

Unless otherwise stated, concession prices apply to children (16 and under or in full-time education), students, over 60s, disabled and unemployed customers. Please note that we may ask to see identification when admitting people carrying concession tickets.

FREE STUDENT & STAFF TICKETS

Tickets are available free of charge for Birmingham City University staff and students.

Tickets are subject to availability and are only valid with an ID card. Tickets can be reserved through the Conservatoire Concert Office.

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Please note that, to guarantee a staff or student ticket for events taking place at external venues, there is a ÂŁ5 charge. Free tickets are available at the venue, 1 hour before start time. Free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to availability.

EXCHANGES AND REFUNDS

Birmingham Conservatoire does not offer refunds on tickets after purchase. Where purchased in advance, and subject to availability, tickets can be exchanged for an alternative performance within the current concert season, provided tickets are returned to the Venues, Concerts and Events Office no less than 48 hours before the event start time.

Tickets for events presented by external artists and organisations within Birmingham Conservatoire are subject to the refund and exchange policy of the organisation.

ADVERTISED PROGRAMME

Every effort is made to ensure that all information included within the Concert and Events Diary is correct at the time of going to print. However the Conservatoire reserves the right to change the programme or replace artists due to unforeseen circumstances.

USE OF MOBILE PHONES

To avoid disruption to performers and other audience members, Birmingham Conservatoire requests that you do not use mobile phones or other electronic devices during our concerts and events.

1ST & 3RD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH SUNDAY CLASSICS 6PM THE SPOTTED DOG, DIGBETH, FREE ADMISSION

Enjoy a wide range of music from classically-trained musicians at the very start of their careers in the warm and friendly surroundings of The Spotted Dog. Sunday Classics aims to make classical music more accessible to all and to give musicians a public platform on which to perform.

PARADISE CIRCUS REDEVELOPMENT

- Open for business as usual We are pleased to confirm that during the Paradise Circus Redevelopment, Birmingham Conservatoire is open for business as usual.

For more information on how surrounding areas may be affected, or for advice on your journey to the city centre, please visit www.birmingham.gov.uk/connected or contact the Conservatoire on 0121 331 5909 where a member of staff will be pleased to help you.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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Get Involved!

LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION PROGRAMME

It is the vision of Birmingham Conservatoire to lead and inspire musicians of all ages and abilities on their musical journeys. We are an institution ready to collaborate, innovate and create exciting new opportunities for all musicians. If you have an idea for a possible collaboration please contact Richard Shrewsbury, Learning and Participation Manager.

INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE

Birmingham Conservatoire has ensembles that are experienced in performing in educational settings. These ensembles range from a chamber orchestra, through woodwind, brass, percussion and string ensembles to world music ensembles, including a samba band and the Conservatoire Folk Ensemble led by Joe Broughton. If you are interested in a Conservatoire group coming and working alongside your musicians get in touch.

The Conservatoire can support these activities and will actively look to find ways to make joint activities financially achievable.

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TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS

We offer a wide range of in-school workshop opportunities with our students and staff to enhance your curriculum. Our workshops range from composition and creative ensemble workshops to specific instrumental workshops or interactive performances in school. There is also the opportunity for school groups to visit the Conservatoire to enjoy our programme of over 300 concerts each academic year.

YOUNG PEOPLE – ASPIRE PROGRAMME

The new Birmingham Conservatoire Aspire programme is for young musicians who show a desire to pursue a musical career. If you are, or know of, a young person that would benefit from an enhanced experience of musical learning activities, including one-to-one instrumental lessons, sideby-side rehearsals and mentoring, then please get in touch.

JUNIOR CONSERVATOIRE

If you have a particular talent for music, whether it is composing or performing, and the desire to take it further, then the Junior Conservatoire may well be the right place for you. We offer specialist training in jazz and classical music to young musicians between the ages of eight and eighteen with exceptional potential, and the ability to achieve that potential. Even absolute beginners as young as three or four years old can study with us through our Young Strings Project, which offers tuition on string instruments.

GOT AN IDEA FOR A PROJECT? GET IN TOUCH. Birmingham Conservatoire Learning and Participation

Richard Shrewsbury, Learning and Participation Manager conlearning@bcu.ac.uk 0121 331 5912

SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE INITIATIVES

Birmingham Conservatoire has strong links with In Harmony Telford & Stoke, the largest ‘El Sistema’ inspired initiative in the UK for young people and their families. Our students and staff are committed to providing opportunities for all people regardless of age, ethnicity and social and economic circumstances to access high quality music education. If you work for a charity or social organisation and have an idea of how we might collaborate please contact us.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts Dartmouth Circus

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Birmingham Conservatoire is located in the centre of Birmingham in Chamberlain Square, to the left of Paradise Forum, and just behind Town Hall. We can be reached by all transport routes.

PARKING

FRIENDS OF BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE MAILING LIST

All of the Conservatoire’s venues and spaces are accessible by wheelchair. Accessible toilet facilities are also available. There are designated wheelchair spaces in the Recital Hall.

Accompanying companion seats are available by requesting these in advance from the Venues, Concerts and Events Office on 0121 331 5909.

To receive future Concert and Event Diaries, and details of special events, offers and promotions, please join our mailing list by sending your details to:

Wheelchair users are entitled to concessionary price tickets with a complimentary companion seat ticket available on request. Guide dogs are welcome at all venues. If you are bringing a guide dog, please let the Venues, Concerts and Events Office know in advance by telephoning 0121 331 5909, so that we can allocate a space for him or her.

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Birmingham Conservatoire Paradise Place, Birmingham B3 3HG

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Station entrance open 7am – 7pm

Margaret Street building

Birmingham

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St Chad’s Cathedral

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Birmingham Repertory Theatre

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Venue Information

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Jewellery Quarter

ST GEORGE

Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

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How to find us One square represents approximately 3 minutes walk

NEW

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ST GEORGES PARK

Disabled parking spaces are available on Hill Street, a short distance from the Conservatoire. Spaces are available on a first-come-first-served basis and display of the relevant badge is essential. Lift access is available into the building There is no other parking available at the Conservatoire but there are several pay and display car parks located close by.

Mailing List Venues Concerts and Events Office Birmingham Conservatoire Paradise Place Birmingham B3 3HG Alternatively please email bhamcons.concerts@bcu.ac.uk or telephone 0121 331 5909.

Your details will be stored on a secure electronic database and will not be passed onto any third parties.

A copy of this brochure is available in large print by contacting the Venues, Concerts and Events Office on 0121 331 5909.

YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

CLOAKROOM

The Venues, Concerts and Events team are always interested to hear your comments and suggestions about our concert programme, suggestions for future programming, our venue and our services.

A free cloakroom service is available at most events taking place during the winter months.

BAR/COFFEE BAR

The Conservatoire coffee bar is open throughout the day from 9am to 5pm.

For evening and weekend events the coffee and licensed bar is open from one hour before and during the interval of events selling teas and coffees, soft drinks, a range of alcoholic beverages and a range of snacks. Ice cream is on sale during the interval of most events in the Adrian Boult Hall.

Interval drinks can be ordered in advance from the coffee and licensed bar from up to one hour before the event start time.

You can write to the Head of Venues, Concerts and Events, Emily Bartlett, at the Venues, Concerts and Events Office, Birmingham Conservatoire, Paradise Place Birmingham B3 3HG. Birmingham Conservatoire thanks its sponsors, funders, partners and supporters

LATECOMERS

To minimise disruption to performers and other audience members, latecomers will only be admitted to the Halls during a suitable break in the performance. This may be at the interval of the event.

Venues, Concerts & Events Office: 0121 331 5909

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www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts

Birmingham Conservatoire thanks its sponsors, funders, partners and supporters SUPPORTERS

Avid John Avins Trust Birmingham Conservatoire Association Birmingham School of Music Centenary Appeal Fund Classical Guitar Centre DfE (Music & Dance Scheme) European Culture Programme EMI Music Sound Foundation Florian Leonhard Fine Violins Hammerson plc Leverhulme Trust Denis Matthews Memorial Trust DMC McDonald Foundation Morgen Thomas Ltd Rowlands Trust Steve Elliott The Michael Bishop Foundation The Schubert Ensemble of London The Tillett Trust Thomas Riebl Tony Brookes Enriching Encounters Fund Tony Davis and Darren Qualls The Wolfson Foundation

EVENT FUNDERS

Britten Pears Foundation Hinrichsen Foundation Holst Foundation Kindom of the Netherlands PRS Foundation for New Music RVW Trust

PARTNERS

Aston Performing Arts Academy Birmingham Contemporary Music Group Birmingham Hippodrome Birmingham Music Service Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra Birmingham Royal Ballet Byron's Birmingham City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Coventry Performing Arts Service Deutsche Bank Ex Cathedra In Harmony Stoke and Telford Jazzlines Leamington Music mac Birmingham Music Education Council Music for Youth Musicians' Union Orchestra of the Swan Perry Beeches II Quench Arts Royal College of Organists Royal Shakespeare Company sampad Second Cup Coffee Sound Futures South Birmingham College Stan's Cafe The Rowlands Trust Town Hall Symphony Hall Tredegar Town Band Welsh National Opera Wolverhampton Music Hub

Supporting Us Birmingham Conservatoire is very grateful for the support of individuals and companies.

BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE ASSOCIATION

THERE ARE MANY WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN SUPPORT US:

Registered Charity No 1067676 SUPPORT THE MUSICIANS OF TOMORROW – JOIN US TODAY

• Sponsor a concert or series of concerts.

• Sponsor a student and follow them through their course of study.

Birmingham Conservatoire Association is a voluntary organisation supporting the work of Conservatoire students.

• Support the Conservatoire Endowment Fund – a fund set up to benefit students in need.

Our international membership consists of alumni, past and present members of staff, parents, friends who support our objectives and distinguished Honorary Members including Sir Simon Rattle.

• Make a donation. The Conservatoire values donations small or large.

• Donations can be gift-aided, increasing their value to the Conservatoire.

For further details, or if you have an idea you would like to discuss with us, please contact: Andrea Cox Principal’s Office Birmingham Conservatoire Paradise Place, Birmingham B3 3HG Tel: 0121 331 5910 Email: andrea.cox@bcu.ac.uk

As an independent Registered Charity, our work includes giving financial support to students and the CBSO Learning and Participation Programme, the production of Fanfare magazine in conjunction with the Conservatoire, hosting the annual Undergraduate Welcome and assisting with Alumni and Staff Reunions.

Membership is open to anyone wishing to support our work for the students, who increasingly need your help in these days of global financial hardship.

Join online at www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/bca or request an application form from BCA Hon Secretary John Smith 0121 476 4741 / smith@hrs359.fsnet.co.uk

MEMBERSHIP

Association of European Conservatoires Conservatoires UK Incorporated Society of Musicians

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The new Birmingham Conservatoire opens September 2017.

Opening Festival from spring 2018.

The new Conservatoire will be part of Birmingham City University’s rapidly expanding City Centre Campus, which is just a short distance from New Street and Moor Street train stations.

It will be in the heart of the city’s learning quarter in the Eastside, which is already home to the ThinkTank Museum, the Birmingham Ormiston Academy, and will be the location for the terminating station for High Speed 2 (HS2). Our innovative new Conservatoire will play a vital part in the vision for the city’s cultural landscape.

Stay in touch for details of forthcoming concerts, special offers and our latest news. To join Birmingham Conservatoire’s mailing list please email bhamcons.concerts@bcu.ac.uk or contact the Venues, Concerts & Events Team on 0121 331 5909.

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Birmingham Conservatoire Paradise Place, Birmingham, B3 3HG